LGBT at the DNC

Whoa! That's a ton of letters! So what was it like to be a gay man at the DNC? Nothing short of phenomenal!

First this convention was historic.  There were 486 openly gay delegates in attendance or roughly 8% of the entire delegation.  Every state in the union had at least one LGBT delegate. (Wyoming had three.)  As Jerame Davis of National Stonewall Democrats said "We've been an underrepresented demographic in politics for a long time.  Finally seeing us appropriately represented is just a thrill."

This is me and Ana with Colorado Governor Hickenlooper.  I told him that I live in WY and my partner lived in CO and we were both crushed when the civil unions bill died in CO this year.  He grabbed my hand, looked me in the eye and said, "Oh don't you worry! I promise we will get that taken care of next year!"  Wow!! What a moment!

One of the biggest highlights for me was the LGBT caucuses.  These were meetings/strategy sessions/ motivational type get togethers that were held on Tuesday and Thursday from 12-2 p.m. So who did they get to address this group you ask?  Well here are a handful of the fine politicians that spoke to us;

Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius.  Talked about how the OFA will impact the LGBT community with no lifetime caps of coverage, no pre-existing condition clauses, premiums going to actual health care rather than insurance company profits, and many other benefits.

Wisconsin Senate Candidate Tammy Baldwin.  Who if elected will be the first openly gay United States Senator

 Newark, New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker.  Who said all the politicians should be in the audience and the audience should be on stage teaching the politicians.  Kit and I had a chance to visit with him at the arena where he thanked us for all we do and encouraged us to be louder, stronger, and more persistent than ever before.

 Sorry for the blurry picture but this is Dr. Jill Biden as in the Second Lady.  Who also talked about education in the LGBT community and passing anti-bullying laws to protect students.

Minnesota Senator Al Franken. Who spent most of his time talking about the repeal of Don't Ask Dont Tell and reminisced about his days as an entertainer. Traveling the Middle East back when people could be kicked out the military for something as trivial as their sexual orientation.

Massachusetts Senator Barney Frank who said, even though the tide is turning and we are seeing victories, we must not give up. "The time to step up the attack is when the enemy is weak."  Let me tell you this is one intense, serious, smart, and grouchy dude!

 Senior Advisor to President Obama Valerie Jarrett talked about how much Obama has done for the LGBT community including repealing DADT, refusal to defend DOMA, expanding hate crimes laws to include sexual orientation and gender, and came out in support of marriage equality.







So this is just a handful of the celebrity power we had at our caucus! I went through the full gamut of emotions. I laughed, I cried, I was angry, I was proud. My main take away.... don't stop fighting!! These fine politicians have our back but the real work is done on the grass roots level!

And the icing on the cake?? Wednesday I went to an HRC / Victory Fund luncheon and the key note speech was delivered by.... wait for it.... Michelle Obama!!

She is an amazing, caring, kind, compassionate woman who laid out what was at stake in this election.  "If you don't live in a battle ground state... get to one!" She pointed out how a Romeny/Ryan ticket would roll the clock back at least 20 years on the progress that has been made over the last four years.

DADT will be back, DOMA will once again be defended in federal courts, and marriage equality.. forget about it!  (that's me paraphrasing but you get the idea.) She very effectively conveyed the importance of this election!

This is me with HRC President Chad Griffin

Overall I couldn't be happier with the results of this convention, and what it means to me as a gay man to have The President and First Lady mention multiple times in their keynote speeches how they firmly stand behind people being allowed to "marry who they love!"  The Democratic Platform is now complete with a full marriage equality plank and I have never been more FIRED UP and READY TO ROLL than I am right now!!

Jeran